Home > Cable and broadcast news ignored a huge story about FEMA malpractice in Puerto Rico

Cable and broadcast news ignored a huge story about FEMA malpractice in Puerto Rico

This is just the latest in the media’s neglectful coverage of Puerto Rico’s recovery

Sarah Wasko / Media Matters

A New York Times report on February 6 revealed that a FEMA contract that called for 30 million meals to be sent to Puerto Rico resulted in only 50,000 meals actually delivered. The contract was awarded to a company with no history in large-scale disaster relief, the latest in a string of poor contracting decisions in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria’s devastation. Despite this, cable and broadcast news networks almost completely ignored the story, with only MSNBC and CBS even mentioning it, albeit briefly.

According to the Times’ report[1], FEMA awarded an $156 million contract to a company called Tribute Contracting to provide 30 million meals to Puerto Ricans in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria. Tiffany Brown, the owner and only employee of the company, had “no experience in large-scale disaster relief,” and had “at least five canceled government contracts in her past.” The Times notes that “by the time 18.5 million meals were due, Tribute had delivered only 50,000,” and the ones that were delivered were packaged incorrectly. FEMA eventually terminated the contract with Tribute.

Months after Hurricane Maria made landfall[2] in September, Puerto Rico remains in desperate need of assistance. Hundreds of thousands[3] of Puerto Ricans still lacked electricity as of January 29, 20 percent of the island is still without[4] running water, and there are countless[5] infrastructural problems that have yet to be fixed. Puerto Rico’s recovery has been hampered by governmental incompetence[6], as well as several[7]contracts[8] with ill-equipped companies, one[9] of which was also made by FEMA.

Cable and broadcast news shows failed to adequately cover the latest setback for Puerto Rico. According to a Media Matters analysis, only MSNBC’s Morning Joe and CBS This Morning mentioned FEMA’s botched meals contract. CBS This Morning spent less than 30 seconds on the story, simply doing a quick headline read about the Times’ article. Morning Joe mentioned the story three times during its February 7 edition, devoting 3 minutes and 14 seconds to the topic. There was no coverage of the story on CNN, ABC, NBC, or Fox News.

Sarah Wasko / Media Matters

News networks’ failure to highlight FEMA’s ill-informed contract and the resulting loss in supplies for Puerto Ricans is unfortunately part of a larger pattern of networks ignoring[10]the[11]devastation[12]and[13]neglect[14] of Puerto Rico since Hurricane Maria made landfall.

Methodology: Media Matters searched SnapStream for mentions of “Puerto Rico” on CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, NBC, ABC, and CBS from February 6, when the Times story was published, until 1 p.m. on February 7.